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Simply ..."pee your pants funny" and heartfelt
Just finished reading Don't Sleep with a Bubba: Unless Your Eggs are in Wheelchairs and per usual, I laughed til I almost wet myself (perhaps more information than you bargained for), and cried as well. Loved it! I will force the women of my mom's club to purchase every last copy at barnes and noble!Also, wanted to say thank you to Susan for her heart-felt honesty with regard to depression and bipolar disorder. Like her, I'm one of those women who smiles through everything and cracks jokes so that know one knows or sees the "darker side." I had awful post-partum depression after my son was born and suffered in silence. I'm certain my husband thought I needed a straight-jacket and horse pills, but no one said a word. I loved the chapters about her children (my little angel had jaundice as well - poor thing had to go back to the hospital and bake under the lights too!) Luckily, my best friend gave me Susan's first book "Not Tonight Honey" and my mood lifted! Amazing what a little womanly humor can do for the soul!Susan has once again touched my heart and lifted my spirits! A must-read for every woman! | 45 stars
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Great even if it's fiction
Since I wrote the first review I have heard that not all of the facts in the book are true. I still think it's worth reading. The ideas are worthwhile even if it's entirely a work of fiction.Original review: Three Cups of Tea was recommended to me by someone whose opinion I value, or I never would have picked it up, but I'm SO HAPPY I decided to read it. I saw the words "Taliban, Pakistan, building schools" and expected some dull political assessment of a war-torn area, or else some gruesome description of violence. I left the book sitting on my desk for a week after I got it, dreading starting to read it, but finally did because I knew the person who recommended it would ask me.Once I started I devoured it. The story is incredible and the storytelling is wonderful - it reads like a novel, accessible to everyone. I intend to buy several copies to share with family & friends. If you're even considering this book, buy it - you'll be glad you did.Lots of other reviews tell about the book, I don't need to go into it here. I just want to add another voice of an average American who knows next to nothing about other parts of the world, and generally prefers it that way, but this book is a different kind of story. It left me not only better informed, and more caring, but happier to know that there are humans like Greg in the world. Maybe we're not as bad off as I thought. | 45 stars
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Everyone needs to read this book
This book is extraordinary! Mr. Tolle is able to move beyond the norm insharing how our egos create exactly what we don't need. He stimulates themind and validates the critical need for our own individual consciousness changes. This is "must read" for anyone interested in everything from personal growth to world peace. | 45 stars
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Shades of the Past
ALIBI MAN is my first book by Tami Hoag, but it will not be my last. Now I've got to read DARK HORSE. For a new reader the back story was smoothly woven into the fabric of the character Elena Estes. Ex-cop, ex-party girl, just about ex-everything has a definite sense of justice, which sends her hunting the killer of a stable mate.Each character was firmly drawn and the changing points of view were not obtrusive. A very good read.Writing as a Small BusinessSins of the Fathers: A Brewster County Novel | 34 stars
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Looks awful
I would be a possible buyer of this Amazon gadget, but it just looks awful. From the shape, to the keyboard layout, and the navigation buttons, it seems poor design.Based on previous reviews complaining about PDF support, foreign language and content, I will wait until version 3 or 4 (if it survives in the market).I am sorry. | 01 star
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Too Good to Put Down
Thirteen Moons is a most extraordinary story, set before, during, and after the Civil War (War Between the States, for you Southerners). The action takes place mostly on the frontier of the day, in the Smokey Mountains and environs. The plot is excellent, combining a tale of survival, with history and discovery. There are few books that include the Cherokee point of view, as well invading immigrants' activities. It had me completely absorbed, and resenting intrusions, like eating, etc. | 45 stars
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a good read
This book by clark was a very enjoyable read. There was a little of everything in it for you. A tad of romance, a lot of mystery, a great variety of characters which was enough to keep you interested and the plot was unusual. As a mystery it was very good.J. Robert Ewbank author "Wesley's Wars" and "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the Isms" | 23 stars
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Wow for Cost & Services
I would buy it if the services I now get for free on the internet(newspapers, magazines etc) did not cost money on this expensive device.Provide free services and lower the price and it's a winner! | 12 stars
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Tell a story fitting expectations & biases of your prospects
Seth Godin provides 186 pages of logic and examples to support his notion that marketers must be storytellers. Stories are required to sell to wants. Any product beyond the simplest requires marketing to the customer's wants. Only commodities and simple products can be sold with facts addressing the needs.Godin explains that prospects have 'worldviews' that reflect their biases, opinions, ways of thinking, etc. The marketer's job is to come up with a 'story' that 'frames' (or hooks) onto the prospect's 'worldview.' 'Frames' are the links into each aspect of the 'worldview.' These terms are defined by copious examples throughout the book.In addition to the many business and product examples, the one example I found most interesting was his 'story' review of the recent Bush vs. Kerry election campaigns. Godin believes that Kerry failed to tell a story that the voters wanted to believe, and also Kerry was inconsistent in his story. Further, it wasn't the candidates ability or lack thereof that lost or won the race, but whether their stories resonated with the pre-existing worldviews (biases, worries, etc.) going on in the heads of the electors.This is the same way he looks at new product launches. If the story doesn't resonate with a large enough base of prospects, it won't take off.Seth Godin goes on to develop many spin-off points using his theme of story, framework, and worldview. He recommends that you find groups of prospects that have a proclivity to talk among themselves, and to only introduce 'wow' products. These other topics also tie back into previous books the author has written.Overall, I think this book is a great book. It's easy to read, filled with examples, and a logical extension of his previous work.John DunbarSugar Land, TX | 45 stars
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Teach Like Your Hair is on Fire
.This is an oldie-but-goodie."Teach Like Your Hair is on Fire" is not an instructional manual. It is the story of one teacher and his students.Rafe Esquith is a teacher who provides flexibility within a thoughtfully-structured environment, enjoys his students, expects them to do well, and supports their learning curves with time, trust and imagination. His experiences may or may not be the same as your own, and that is OK.Read this book for pleasure and you will find some nuggets of wisdom.Kim BurdickStanton, Delaware | 23 stars
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enjoyed
Good opening line. It captures you right away. A good read but a bit long. The new movie should be interesting. | 34 stars
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Excellent storytelling
After all that is why we read. It doesn't get any better than this. I just purchased the book the day before yesterday and only read 4 of the 7 stories. "Blind Luck" was great and "An Unbecoming Grace" had me laughing out loud at the end of the story.I wish T. Steinbeck had several voulmes like this, looking forward to his 1st novel-Don | 45 stars
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Mid-Life Crisis....?....Read This Book
Elizabeth Gilbert hits the nail on the head. Beauty, faith and thebalance between both. For those of us facing the proverbial mid-lifecrisis, or even wondering, is that all there is, Ms. Gilbert deliversa book with legs. For travelers, the three venues, all so different,provide that thrilling look inside a city we may never get four monthsin which to wander about. For the soul searchers among us, Ms. Gilbertoffers insight into the mind of a woman (most women) looking for answersin the chaos of love, lost love, rediscovered love, and most significantlya connection with the spirituality of all things past and present tuckedneatly away in the heart. The trick is to tap into the heart. This is reason enough for India to be my favorite section of the book. Makes you want to go to an Ashram doesn't it? | 45 stars
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Johnny Dodds MisInformed Review
I found this book to be quite enlightening. Yes, it is her method, but it is obviously a successful one. There's certainly no fluff in this unlike some "how-tos" by other "famous" authors. The method described has been created and refined over her years as a successful author. Even if she's not a "bestseller", she must be accomplished enough to publish as many books as she has, and in hardcover no less! Johnny Dodd stating that 99% of what's published is crap is just opinion, and not a very educated one at that. Tell me this, Johnny, if 99% of what's published is crap, then how did it get published at all? If it's so obvious to you, why wouldn't it be obvious to everyone else? And editors? And reviewers/critics, etc.? Hmmm...I say, thanks Ms. George, for putting yet another unique spin on the process and perhaps taking some of the mystery out of a mystical profession. | 34 stars
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What an eye opener!
First and foremost, thank you Mr. Carter!! This is a book that that has the ability to completely refocus the "victim". Those who have fallen "victim" to the "nasty people" of the world will be able to clearly describe their characteristics and behaviors after reading this book. Think about the "nasty people" in your life. They are the ones who feel better about themselves by putting others down and those who will criticize, even traumatize by giving and withdrawing attention, affection or their physical presence at whim. Carter provides a very simple, yet complete picture of how to identify the "nasty people" in your life, what the effects of "nasty people" can be and how to change your response to them. His straightforward writing style allows even those who are deepest in denial that they could let others effect them in such "nasty" ways will have to step back and realize the err of their ways. Essentially, Carter's overall message is that "nasty people" have issues themselves, and while we may not be able to change them, we are able to change the way we respond to them. This alone will serve to remove the primary benefit that "nasty people" strive for, and that one thing is power. While Carter's writing is not oozing with major theoretical overtones, it does allow the reader to put things in perspective and close this book feeling a lot more empowered as well as self-appreciating. | 45 stars
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Another good book
Another good book in the series by the author. I love this series! | 34 stars
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He doesn't have anything new to say
If you thought "Stupid White Men" was a lot of angry, inaccurate and unfunny drivel, wait until you read this one. Same mantras all over again - George W Bush, Enron, Kyoto protocol, how rich rule the world... And anti-capitalists are clapping their hands in ecstasy. Same old story.In fact, I kinda feel sorry for them, because it does not seem to take a lot of effort to amuse those lefties and nearly bring tears of righteous indignation to their eyes. This talentless self-centred sorry excuse for a writer just keeps talking to anyone who would listen.Old-school pinko artists (like Oliver Stone) at least had some talent. Their ideas might have been unacceptable to some but everyone respected their professionalism. Michael Moore just keeps mass-producing trash and making nice money out of it. He is not even a professional, just an incompetent fraud.Liked his first book and Columbine film? Go on, buy this one too. You'll love it: it's more of the same. | 01 star
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Enjoyable, very good but not fantastic
I picked up this book (and the next three in the Lost Fleet series) as I enjoy science-fiction and this was recommended to me by another fellow sci-fi aficionado.The story is about John "Black Jack" Geary, an Alliance Fleet officer whose famous "last stand" has become the stuff of legend. He was presumed dead and lost with his ship during the aforementioned "last stand," but in fact, he escaped in a life pod which kept him in suspended animation for 100 years. Now reawakened and entrusted with the safety of the fleet, he must strive to re-teach the lessons of warfare and codes of honor that have been lost over the last century - a century which has seen continual, unremitting warfare between the Alliance, and the Syndicate Worlds.Black Jack Geary has been exalted as a hero, but the unfortunate side-effects of this hero-worship is that he cannot simply be what he actually is - merely a man trying to do the best job he can do, with what he's been given. Many in the Fleet expect him to simply lead them to glorious victory like some Greek God of old, while Geary struggles to re-establish the lost art of war and military discipline on a Fleet which has been told that hyper-aggressiveness in battle is the only factor that matters. Geary's use of tactical manuevers is interpreted by some as a lack of fighting spirit, and he struggles all the time against those who would usurp his command authority.I found this book to be excellent as it relates to the problems of space warfare - that ships traveling through space would have relativistic effects on them that would distort their ability to see things and react, and that fleets of space warships spread over many millions of miles of space would have difficulty communicating because radio communications, which travel at the speed of light, would take several seconds or even minutes to reach their intended recipients. The descriptions of space battles was riveting and wholly enjoyable.Where I found this book lacking, however, is in the character development. While the main character of John Geary is of course explored in great detail, he's still somewhat one-dimensional. He is cast as the honorable, duty-bound, conscientious officer as was common in the Alliance Fleet of yesteryear, but he isn't really fleshed out as a human being. What are his vices? What makes him happy? What makes him sad? Other characters are similarly one-dimensional. Stalwart captains are always stalwart captains, and incompetent blunderers are always incompetent blunderers. How about a character who appears like an arrogant, incompetent fool in one chapter actually proves his worth in battle in the next? What kind of neat dilemmas could spring from that dynamic? Just some rambling thoughts, but I think that the lack of human depth in many of the characters holds me back from giving this five stars. Otherwise, I like this book very much, and am starting on the next book in the series, "Fearless." | 34 stars
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A wonderful book
This is a marvelous book. It's well plotted, well researched, well written, with well developed, interesting characters and many twists and turns. Don't be put off by comparisons with Da Vinci Code -- that book was as low in literary quality as Tom Hanks' haircut in the movie. And don't be put off by criticisms of the character of Jake -- the unreliable first person narrator is a literary device, folks, and Gruber uses it far better than most mystery writers. And I find Jake quite endearing. This is that rare creature, the riveting crime novel with literary merit. | 45 stars
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Much more than a diet book
It is not simply a diet book - it's FILLED with information that we need in order to make good choices in our food selections so that our bodies can function properly. The author's have done a marvelous job of giving us the knowledge we need and making it interesting with their sense of humor - knowledge is power! I'm happy I bought this book. | 45 stars
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Dense, thourough, and very well done
Admittedly, this is a time-consuming and sometimes difficult book to wade through during a semester long microbiology-immunology course in medical school (the target audience of this book). Also, there is no microbiology here, just immunology. That being said, it is an excellent immunology text and reference and leaves very few stones unturned. As one reviewer said many of the paragraphs are dense but I found very few to be unnecessary or uninformative. If you have the time, this is a very good Immunology text. My only complaint is that there are too few figures and the figures that are there are fairly rudimentary (I guess I've just gotten used to all the high-gloss stuff that almost every other medical text uses now...) | 34 stars
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Great Lady!
Didn't really know too much about Paula Deen until I read this book. What a Great Lady. As she says, a little "bawdy", but she had guts and gumption...and she loves her family! A MOM who was not afraid to work, and work hard to make a living...and WHAT A LIVING... for her sons and herself. Great inspirational, encouraging book! I can't wait to read it again! | 45 stars
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Nothing you don't know already.
My reaction to this book was almost identical to Forgerelli's. If you're a fan who watches every pitch, reads the papers every day, and discusses the team on blogs, there will not be a single thing in this book you don't already know.I think this book is flawed in many ways: it rehashes the broad stories that have been told a million times; it never creates a sense of the season's progression; Morrissey is a poor writer (the Humpty-Dumpty line is just one example -- his editor let him make some jaw-droppingly bad analogies); it's irritatingly redundant; and Morrissey too often uses his book to beat up on people he doesn't personally like.It's a huge disappointment that Morrissey didn't take more time with this book and write an in-depth study of the 2006 season, which was fascinating. There was so much drama -- starting with Matsui and Sheffield getting hurt and being out much of the year; the emergence of Melky Cabrera; A-Rod's struggles; the Boston Massacre Part II, which turned the season around; Bernie William's one last hurrah.So much happened and the season was such an emotional roller-coaster -- but you never get a sense of this from the book.Morrissey's insight into the actual game of baseball is limited, and sometimes he simply gets it wrong. He writes: "[Wang] was no can't-miss kid... [T]he Yankees offered him only $1.9 million, reportedly less than the Braves did." 1.9 million dollars is a huge sum of money to pay for an international free agent, and ranks as one of the biggest signing bonuses the Yankees have ever given to one. It was an especially high amount for a 20-year-old Taiwanese kid. Morrissey also reiterates things that are known to be false, such as the Yankees not wanting to draft overrated St. John's closer Craig Hansen because they didn't want to pay him the money he wanted.Morrissey spends a long time talking about the A-Rod/Jeter relationship (which I guess we should come to expect at this point). He goes out of his way to trash Jeter, essentially calling him a phony who never missteps in front of the cameras but acts like a jerk when they're away. He doesn't let A-Rod off the hook, but he repeats the idea that A-Rod needed Jeter to defend him when times got tough. While bashing Jeter for not doing it, he doesn't state the obvious: what does it say about Alex Rodriguez if he's so fragile that he needs a teammate to stand up for him in the press to stay together mentally?Carl Pavano is everyone's favorite punching bag, so it's no surprise he's dragged through the mud again. Morrissey is almost gleeful recounting the shots teammates (anonymously) took at Pavano. He questions if Pavano had the mental toughness to play in New York and ridiculously wonders if Pavano was really hurt (as if you can "pretend" to have bone chips and broken ribs). He uses Tanyon Sturtze playing through an injury in 2006 as an example of Pavano not being a good teammate or a real man -- but doesn't point out that Sturtze was so awful while playing that fans were calling for him to be cut, and that when Torre found out about the injury he went berserk. An injured player is a useless player, but Morrissey can't stop himself from calling Pavano a "coward" and "malingerer."Morrissey reveals a stunning pettiness in the end, as he takes shots at a rival newspaper and trumpets how the "Post" became more popular than the "Daily News." It's childish, to say the least, but holds the pattern of how he takes low-blow shots at the players he doesn't like.The book comes slightly alive when he chronicles the vastly disappointing playoff series against the Tigers. Because he finally -- finally -- details a series (the only other time he does it is the Boston Massacre). The ALDS was a disaster, and Torre was at his worst. Morrissey gets the tone of chaos and dread correct. It's just too bad he didn't do this for the entire season, giving a better representation of the ups and downs that the Yankees experienced.In the end, you could get the same effect you get from this book by reading a year worth of blog postings from the 2006 season. It really does nothing more than rehash everything you've already heard. Aside from one nice interview with Jason Giambi, where he opens up more than I've ever seen him open up, there's nothing here a devoted fan doesn't already know, and probably better and more intimately than Morrissey. | 12 stars
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Better than the DVD
If you are considering The Secret but are skeptical that it will be cheesy than stick to the CD. I found the DVD to be cheesy.This is a really great book, CD, DVD that will help train you to think positive. Very uplifting. Something that you can listen to again and again. | 34 stars
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Captivating real-life battle narratives-hairraising!
I have had the honor of reading an advance copy of this epic masterpiece given to my family by the author. Of all my readings over my many years, I have never had such an emotional, enthralling attachment to a book. Only rarely does a book give you the emotional feelings of desire to read as fast as you can mixed with the sad knowledge that you will eventually finish the book. This story was the ultimate experience of this occurence. I can guarantee that this book will become one of the top best sellers in history. | 45 stars
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Can't wait to read the next one!
This is the first Karen Chance book I've ever read, and I have already ordered the second book in this series. This book had me entranced from the beginning. I can't wait to continue it and see what happens to Cassie next! I think anyone who likes vampires and the paranormal will love this book! | 45 stars
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HUH???
I just got online to read the reviews for this book. I have to admit, I am floored. I LOVE my Kindle, BUT THE KINDLE PRICE IS HIGHER THAN THE PAPER VERSION? HUH? | 01 star
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Loved it!
I thought Waldman wrote this book very thoughtfully and tackled a difficult topic with heart and some humor. I found Emilia to be very likable and the Waldman wrote the other characters, I felt myself empathizing for them as well. Having just had my second child 4 months prior to reading this book, I found myself feeling a gamut of emotions for Emilia and Jack and even Jack's ex-wife. This story is wonderful and has been recommended to my book club as well as other friends. | 45 stars
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Vampire Battle of New Orleans
Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire series just keeps getting better and better. Many series cool to lukewarm after several installments, however this sixth volume is the best yet (and I thought #5, Dead as a Doornail, couldn't be topped - I was wrong).Telepath Sookie Stackhouse pulls herself away from new love interest Quinn (a were-tiger), and travels to New Orleans to sort through her murdered cousin Hadley's estate. Hadley, a fairly new vampire, had been quite the bohemian goth-eccentric as well as lover to the Louisiana Vampire Queen Sophie-Anne. And now she is definitely dead - the non-negotiable finale to a vampire existence.Ominous events shadow Sookie from even before she leaves her home of Bon Temps. Murder, missed messages, and mayhem presage the even greater dangers Sookie encounters in The Big Easy. Hadley's landlady, the witch Amelia, joins with Sookie to solve the mystery of the body they find in Hadley's closet. Forces conspire to stop Sookie from delving into Hadley's past, and her relationship with the Queen. Perhaps the most vicious blow is not physical, but emotional, as Sookie discovers the real reason her first love, Bill, came to Bon Temps.Mystery, intrigue, and passion grow as events escalate into a war between the Lousiana vampires, loyal to the Queen, and the Arkansas vampires, loyal to the Queen's new consort Peter. Quinn, Eric, Bill, and others well known to loyal readers rally to save Sookie and uncover who is behind the plot to kill her. New characters, such as the Saxons Sigebert and Wybert, delight. Harris' storytelling skills are at a new high, as she weaves seemingly disparate plot lines into a tight, cohesive, and totally satisfying ending (although I didn't want it to conclude). I am eagerly awaiting the next installment.Aside: Charlaine's tender explanation and tribute to the people of New Orleans, in a prologue, is a loving gesture, and doubtless much appreciated. Perhaps the publishers would consider channeling a small portion of the profits to a Katrina relief fund? | 45 stars
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Very surprised
I've had my kindle for about a month now and love it. I live in a very small town in a river valley where we usually don't get cell phone reception,and was worried about getting reception to download books. I was very surprised and greatly pleased to have my fears prove to be unfounded. It may take a minute or two longer than most areas since I usually only have 1-2 bars, but I have no trouble. I do advise anyone who likes to read at night to buy a light and if you plan to take it with you a lot to get a cover or sleeve for protection. This is a great device and well worth the money. | 45 stars
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Great Characters, Poorly Told Story
When I saw this book, a continuation of the characters in "Be True To Your School", I bought in with great enthusiasm. But I was disappointed.The characters are still good, though Greene does not show the differences in the personalities very much. Here were 5 great friends, but you don't see who is who. Each person seems to speak in the same voice.I also wish Greene would have talked a bit more about his own journey through life. Nor do you hear very much about the bad times any of the characters faced. Without these details, the book drags into sappiness.I have a hard cover version of this book. There are NO pictures of the friends in this book, astonishingly chintzy. Greene refers to people mistaking Jack for Steven Spielberg, yet there are no pictures for the reader to see for themselves. Greene refers to other pictures taken of them, but they are not for us to see.Plus, Greene's observations seem incredibly pithy and sappy.Finally, one question that bothered me throughout this book and "Be True To Your School". Did Greene and his friends ever eat a single meal at home? It seems that all they ever did was to go to one Bexley place or another for hamburgers and fries. Didn't their parents feed them? How did they pay for all these meals out. | 23 stars
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Excellent new series
This is a terrific book in a new series from an author with whom I was not previously familiar. The story centers on Yelena, a convicted murderer who is given the opportunity to avoid execution by becoming the food taster for the commander of her country. In other words, she screens all of the Commander's meals for poison before he eats. Yelena accepts the position and is trained to detect poisons of all kinds. It quickly becomes apparent that there is much more to Yelena than meets the eye, both in terms of her intelligence and abilities and in terms of the story behind her conviction for murder. She is a great character, strong and principled and independent. The supporting characters are interesting and the plot moves quickly. The book is entirely original but at the same time reminded me a little of other books that I really enjoyed, particularly The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins and East by Edith Pattou. I look forward to reading the other two books in this series. | 34 stars
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Tightly plotted, lots of action, but may not be for the squeamish
"The Hard Way" is the tenth installment in Lee Child's mystery/thriller series featuring ex-Army MP Jack Reacher. After leaving the Army, Jack has drifted from place to place, and as the story opens, he's sitting outside a cafe on Sixth Avenue in New York City enjoying an espresso. The espresso is so good that Reacher returns the following night.As he relaxes and takes in the scene, Reacher is approached by a man who asks him questions about what he observed the night before. He returns with the man to the apartment of his boss, Edward Lane, a former Delta Force colonel, who is now the head of a large mercenary organization made up of men that formerly served in elite military units. Reacher learns that Lane's young wife, Kate, and her young daughter from a previous marriage, Jade, have been kidnapped and the ransom was left in a car parked outside the cafe where Reacher was sitting. Lane wants to know what Reacher saw and if he can identify the person who drove the car away. Lane makes it clear that he doesn't want the police involved because his first wife was kidnapped a few years before and was killed when her abductors found out that the FBI had been called. Reacher offers to help Lane to get his wife and step-daughter returned back unharmed.From that point, the pace of the story picks up as there more ransom demands and the kidnappers are always one step ahead of Reacher's attempts to track them down. Eventually, Reacher is led to a remote village in England for a dramatic and exciting ending. Most readers of this series will probably agree that "The Hard Way" is one of the best. Besides having lots of action, Reacher needs to piece together many clues to figure out who's the mastermind behind what's going on. Child also introduces interesting characters, including the ex-FBI agent who botched the first kidnapping and a mercenary who worked for Lane and was captured and held prisoner for many years in Africa. My only caution is that if you're somewhat squeamish, this book may not be for you. It contains some very brutal and horrific descriptions of torture and young Jade is also threatened with violence that may upset some readers. | 45 stars
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A Must Read for Susan Carroll Fans!
About 6 mo ago I read the first book in the trilogy, The Dark Queen and fell in love with the story and the characters. I have been itching to read the Courtesan ever since then. This story was delightful! It carries on the story of the Cheney sisters with Gabrielle and her life as a courtesan and separation from her sister Ariane and Miri. Gabrielle thinks this is the life she was always after, but deep inside knows shes not happy. She greives the death of Nicholas Remy, then things take a dramatic turn, Remy is alive! He didn't die that bloody Massacre of St. Bartholomew night. Her life isn't necessarily jeopardized, but definitely turned upside down. Her ambitions of seducing Henry of Navarre become apparently over. Her heart is with Remy and no matter how she might try and deny herself this truth, it slams into her like a train.Catherine de Medici isn't really the focus in this book like she was in the dark Queen. We also get a glimpse of Ariane and Renard and their difficulties having a child. Miri also joins the story along with her once childhood love Simon Aristide now know as the witch hunter Le Balafre (this character is not the same as the historical duc de Guise).A new witch is also introduced in the story, Cassandra Lascelles. Cassandra is at first a friend of Gabrielle's. She is shrouded in mystery in this book and is in bits and pieces. But I feel she is a character set up to be prominent in the following novel, The Silver Rose. So I guess we shall see!I really can't wait to read The Silver Rose and find out what happens in this story of the Cheney women of Fair Isle. I absolutely love Susan Carroll's stories! I love how she intertwines history with fiction into one seamless story. A job well done indeed. | 45 stars
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Nice start going slowly down hill
I have read all of Mr Coben's books and this is probably the least enjoyable.I dont mean to dwell on the editing but its really terrible. The main reason I am writing at all to ask where is Myron Bolitar? That was the best series that I have read in a long time and why have you given up on M. B. Why does everyone want to fix what isnt broke?? | 23 stars
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Thrilling, romantic - a must for Company of Rogues fans!
This book is the third and final in Beverley's 'Three Guys Named George' series; but it's also in many ways a direct sequel to An Unwilling Bride in the 'Company of Rogues' series. So if you've ever wanted to know what happened to shy Clarissa, the very unwilling fiancee of the evil Lord Deveril, after Deveril was killed by Blanche (and the murder was covered up by the Rogues) in An Unwilling Bride, here's all those loose ends brilliantly tied up.Clarissa, now a year or so older and quite a bit wiser, is the ward of the Duke of Belcraven, a considerable heiress, and about to make her second attempt to enter society. She wants to strike out on her own; fond though she is of Beth Arden, Lucien, the Marquess, scares her. This, for critics of one element of An Unwilling Bride, is the legacy of Luce's one moment of lapse of control. It wasn't all over and forgotten with after all!Hawk, returned at last from the war, finds unwelcome news. His father is deep in debt and has mortgaged the manor to an appalling developer - all the quest for the family title. The title? That of Viscount Deveril. So his father is about to become Lord Deveril, and he wants Deveril's fortune. Hawk's duty is to obtain it, either by proving the will a forgery, or by marrying the Devil's Heiress.But Clarissa is obviously no murderer, nor a fraudster. Instead, she's a fairly plain and shy young woman, but as Hawk gets to know her, he sees that she's beautiful, and intelligent, and fiercely determined to combat the prejudice she encounters as Deveril's heir. Despite himself, he is intrigued.Clarissa knows that Hawk is after her money; but she also knows that someone as plain as her is only going to attract suitors who want her money. And, since she's resigned herself to that eventuality, why not marry someone she *likes*? For she likes Hawk, very much. Too much...And so the game begins, with guilt and lies on both sides, but with a stirring, sensual attraction between Clarissa and Hawk which simmers off the pages. Familiar characters from other books return: Francis Middlethorpe's Aunt Arabella, who is sent by Nicholas to chaperon Clarissa; Nicholas himself, along with Eleanor and Amabel; Therese Bellaire, Con and Susan; Van and Maria; Hal and Blanche (now, there has to be at least one more Rogues book, simply to complete their story!), and, of course, Lucien and Beth. And the Duke and Duchess of Belcraven!And there is also a welcome appearance from one very unexpected character indeed!This is an unmissable, unputdownable book. Don't miss it! | 45 stars
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This Writer Has No Equal
I am a fan of many writers, but Oscar Wilde holds a special place in my non-existant but nonetheless real Hallway of Marble Busts of Famous Dead Guys. Obviously, Wilde was aware of his already-forming legend status at the height of his popularity, and his arrogance is permeated throughout every one of his works. This does not, however, disqualify him from being rightly honored by his huge and admiring readership. It also doesn't change the fact that he was victim of his own irony, dying young and humiliated in jail. No one illustrates tragicomedy better than Oscar Wilde. This particular book is the Bible of the Infinitely Quotable Strokes of Verbal Genius. My personal fave: "Cigarettes are the perfect form of the perfect pleasure. They are exquisite and they leave one unsatisfied. What more could one want?" | 45 stars
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A True Classic
Having seen the movie "The Heiress" and loved it, I decided to read the book that the movie was based on. It was excellent and really worked well on my Kindle! | 45 stars
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Kindle
I love it! It's easy to use! I am constantly reading and this is perfect...I'm never without a book! For anyone who loves to read...it truly is great! | 45 stars
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The Old West thru a Parker shaped filter
I'm a long time Parker fan and even had a chance to meet himsometime back. In my view, he's one of our greatest living writers and the Spenser series simply has to rank as one of the finest detective series ever.After reading everything he's written in the last thirty or soyears it's hard not to see some familiar themes come up throughout the books.Honor, friendship, commitment, and love are all Parker mainstays and some people would say cliches.You could make a case that the characters of Cole and Hitch areSpenser and Hawk in different clothes. (Or Gus and Call from Lonesome Dove ,for that matter) All that aside, Parker has written a gritty, straight foward tale of the West with his usual ear for dialogue, humor , and compassion. No surprises for Parker fans like myself but, a good, strong book about people doing the right thing and standing up for what they believe in. | 34 stars
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Bookaholic loves Kindle
This device is perfect for a gadget lover and bibliophile. I have used it for hours at a time and never got tired. The page-turn is smooth and the supply of books available seem endless. The menu and toggle are easy to learn and it has lots of optional uses besides reading books, such as e-mail access, web shopping and document storage. When is one coming that has color? I'll be ready to trade up then. | 45 stars
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Sticky Stuff
Are you a maven, a connector or a salesperson? Is your idea sticky? Has your book group helped move the world? This is one of those books that changes the way you think about business and life. Yes, some of the points Gladwell makes are simplistic (wow, you're less likely to help someone if you're in a hurry to get to an appointment? Really??) but Gladwell weaves his points together to form compelling arguments about individual and group behavior. | 45 stars
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Very Entertaining
This book is the first of a trilogy representing the Pride and Prejudice story from Darcy's point of view. None of the books are particularly long, which is frustrating because they could have easily been combined into one novel. Aside from that frustration the books are excellent and stay very close to Austen's style of writing and her charm. Out of the ten or so "sequels" or "retellings" of Pride and Predjudice that I have read, these three books are certainly some of my favourites. | 34 stars
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It gets better and better!
I loved the first book Dark Lover and the second - Lover Eternal is even better! Erotic, with a plot and characters that you can relate to! I simply could NOT put this book down - neither will you! | 45 stars
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Brilliant!
I totally enjoy reading The (London) Times.Besides editorials and international news stories it also has local stories you wouldn't otherwise get your hands on. And is all written in a wry, witty, off-the-cuff way.I read two papers a day, the Wall Street Journal (paper edition) and The Times which I get "delivered" every morning to my kindle.American papers could learn from this more relaxed, and warmer style of writing.Like most Britons, The Times doesn't take itself too seriously and as long as you don't take yourself too seriously either, you will enjoy reading it. | 45 stars
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Fantastic story, genuine bad guy, incredible humor
This guy (Lehene) is good. What a teriffic plot, and I find myself laughing out loud with the banter between Angie, Patrick, Bubba (is this guy a piece of work or what?). This is great reading. If you can get the unabridged book on tape, it is worth the extra $$$. The readers "Basten" accent adds a dimension to the story that cannot come thru in written form. | 45 stars
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Ann sucks but you are so much brighter
You write well and your engaging personality is reflected in this wonderfull book.I just wish you would get off that neo con red station Fox and get on a real channel.Most Fox watchers are so stupid anyway.Do not waste your good mind on that station. | 45 stars
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Kindle incomplete
From the international version of kindle people would expect to get it with a plug that fits to local market or at least with an adapter for the local country.This is something Amazon should improve fast and for earlier customers it is advised to provide the adapter f.o.c. as soon as it becomes available.Another very bad point is the fact that virtually no german laguage e-books are available from Amazon. Therefore it is complicated to get german language books which run on the Kindle International, fotunately there is a software like Calibre available.. | 23 stars
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Worth reading!
This is a good book. Well written and imaginative. Pretty hottt in some parts too (for a ya book anyway) | 45 stars
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Shows Potential
Jack Stein, Psychic Investigator. It's a great hook, and Caselberg brings in some wonderful ideas over the course of the book.Stein is hired to investigate the disappearance of a miner. He's also hired to learn more about a lost handipad (PDA) that comes into his possession. Naturally, the cases are related, leading him into a web of business deals and betrayals.I wanted this book to be more than it was. I never felt all that connected to the protagonist, or to any of the characters, really. The plot also felt a bit forced. Of Stein's psychic abilities, Caselberg writes, "Things didn't happen by chance to Jack Stein. Coincidence was always loaded. Events seemed to coalesce around Jack." Unfortunately, that means the plot relies pretty heavily on these coincidences, which strains the credulity of the reader.One of the most fascinating concepts for me was the Locality, the self-contained city which constantly rebuilds itself, leaving the old portion to fall into decay and ruin. Thematically, it was a powerful symbol, in addition to being a downright nifty idea. I hope he does more with it in future books.I did finish the book, and I was relatively satisfied at the end. As a first novel, it's not bad, and Caselberg clearly has a great deal of potential. I just don't think this book completely fulfills that potential. | 23 stars
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An OK story for a debut author, but quality of writing could be better
Katherine wanted happiness and peace. She wanted friendship with the man she would marry, but she definitely didn't want passion - she'd seen how passion had ruined her mother's life, and she could live without it, thank you very much! So she chose a man whom she could like and respect, but there was one small problem - he was already married! Actually, everyone thought he was a widower, but when his 'dead' wife suddenly reappeared, Katherine realized the only way to keep from being 'ruined' in society was to quickly marry someone else, so two days later she married Dominic, her fiance's (oops, her ex-fiance's) brother, whom we learn is really his half-brother.Katherine and Dominic both appear to view love as a weakness - Dominic doesn't believe that love can last, and Katherine doesn't want to be in love because she feels it's nothing but a prison for women. Both of these views have been caused by their backgrounds, but the reader is left to fill in the blanks about much of the background - where was the rest of the story? Dominic's mother had a child by the man she loved, but she then denied Dominic any of her love, even after her abusive husband died. And she refused to give Dominic any information about his father, even though she knew how much he craved an identity, and how much Dominic's father wanted to be in his life. Instead, she exposed Dominic to the hate and venom and beatings of her abusive husband - sorry, not my idea of motherly love. | 23 stars
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Mind bender anyone?
Although it isn't very long, Flatland does take a long time to read. This isn't because it is boring, or because it is hard to read, but because of the large amount of digestion one need's to fully comprehend (and to fully enjoy) this book. Even this book contains only 82 pages, it is by no means light reading. The book was originally released in 1884 under Abbott's pseudonym A Square. In the story we follow the journey of a square who lives in a land of two dimensions--a flat land. In it class, and ultimately intelligence, is determined by the amount of sides that a shape has. As the amount of sides a shape has decreases, we find that it also is more emotional and apt to cause destruction through their pointed corners. Women are depicted as straight lines, but one has to take into account the time that this book was published. One can also disregard the story as having any relations to anything in our society and enjoy it for what it is, a mind bending social criticism. In this tale we follow the aforementioned square through his everyday life. we learn what it is like to exist in only two dimensions. We learn of how rain falls form the north and disappears to the south and how gravity is a minute force that pulls to the south ever so slightly. We follow him through the government and through social classes, and the discrimination that comes with them. When his son talks of geometric impossibilities such as 23 (cubed) he has a dream of a lesser land than his, a land called line land. IN it there is not two but only one dimension of being. Through discussion with the kind of lineland, we are offered insight into why our hero the square cannot conceive of the third dimension. Later our hero is visited by a great being, a sphere that appears to him seemingly out of nowhere. This confuses the square very much, and even more when the sphere tries to explain how he passed into his dimension from the third. After heated debate, the sphere takes him and shows him the third dimension, turning our hero into an evolved form of him self, a cube. Form his higher vantage point the square is able to see the innards of those who reside in flatland. He receives tutoring from the sphere about this new dimension and all that it entails. He learns of how limited the field of vision is for those living in flatland, both literally and figuratively. With his previous limits of reality stripped and with his eye opened to the truth, the square quickly follows logic and asks to see the insides of the sphere, and wishes to ascend further into greater dimensions, fourth dimensions and fifth and onward and upward. The sphere is appalled by this heresy and send our hero back to the limited realm of flatland. Here he tries to convince others to be enlightened, but cannot find success. He has a second dream involving the dimension of pointland, no dimensions. The being inhabiting this land is of nothing and knows nothing but itself, which is nothing. There fore this being cannot be disappointed by anything, because it cannot conceive of anything other than itself. We can see the religious parallels to Hinduism and Buddhism here. The completely content creature is of nothingness, much like the state that Buddhists try to achieve, and the outward ranking by dimension not sides can be seen in Hinduism in the spiral path towards God that the Hindu believe they travel along passing from one point on the spiral to another with each passing life. In this land of math all of the lands are contained within each other, much like the rings of the spiral. Finally after this dream the square realizes the futility of trying to convince others through speech, and he feels he must do it through demonstration. Folks hear of his heresy and bring him to the court for the climax of the book. Whether or not the plot of the novel itself is very entertaining, the ability to get your head around concepts that can only be experienced through the mind is challenged thoroughly by this novel. It is a must read for anyone who thinks that they are well educated, as it will quickly tell you just where you stand, theologically, philosophically and mathematically. | 34 stars
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Terrific Gift
I purchased this book for my mom-in-law whose parents are holocaust survivors. She said it was so terrific. I will read it next. | 45 stars
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Great language can't save a weak story.
Henry James's "The Wings of the Dove" presents a detailed study of human nature and motivations with regard to love and money and the social differences that separate Europe and America. What distinguishes James's work is its reversal of traditional gender roles -- the few male characters are curiously emasculated and subservient while the female characters wield all the power, influence, and money.The novel is mostly set in London, where one of the main female characters, a young woman named Kate Croy, is affianced to a journalist named Merton Densher. Her Aunt Maud gives her financial support and likes Merton well enough but does not approve of her marrying the impecunious young man, preferring she marry the higher-bred Lord Mark (who is not particularly wealthy either) instead.Kate and Merton befriend a young New York heiress named Milly Theale, who is traveling throughout Europe with an American companion named Susan Stringham and has decided to remain in London a while to assimilate herself to the society. She has some kind of serious illness, for which she consults and confides in a doctor named Sir Luke Strett. Eventually, Kate and Merton decide to use Milly's friendship and good nature to their own advantage. Kate tells Merton to marry Milly so that when she (presumably soon) dies of her illness, he will inherit her money and then he and Kate can get married. Merton courts Milly in Venice, but he must also vie with Lord Mark's affections for Milly. Milly's final action results in a conflict which embitters Kate and Merton's feelings for each other.All these people have two things in common: They're boring, and I don't care about them. They're literary mannequins, dressed up very nicely but going nowhere in a novel that insists on examining in excruciating detail every hollow nook and cranny of their psyches. Granted, Henry James is a master of the English language, writing with a level of sophistication and impressionism found nowhere else. However, he expends too much effort disrupting the narrative flow with non-events, bland scenes, and shallow conversations. As a result, I regretfully could not invoke much interest in the story. | 23 stars
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Mean horrible awful people and personal redemption
The movie American Beauty reminds me of this book. Both pull off the near impossible task of presenting the reader (or viewer) with horrible nasty people and then at the last moment making us see them as simply angry human beings fully capable of redemption and understanding, even if its too late to do anything with their lives.The book starts out with one of foppiest of English fops touring the Manor with a utter contempt for these people and their ways. The stories that he hears from the servants only confirm his view, but they are intriguing. No one tells what they want to tell and there are times when you want to strangle the servants telling the stories (especially the one that PURPOSELY hid a note that would have eased some of the tensions because she didn't feel that it would be right. How many interfering old bitties like this are in the world? Probably more in the Victorian era.)The love between Heathcliff and Catherine might have worked out in different circumstances, if Heathcliff had not been the hated adopted gypsy child, if Catherine's brother hadn't been an idiot drunk, if Catherine hadn't been pledged to marry the idiot next door. Of course, then it wouldn't have been such an intriguing novel. Heathcliff comes back the conquering hero to find that Catherine is married and her idiot brother is still a drunk and he can't have her so he plays dangerous games with people's hearts and gears everything to his twisted revenge. Included in his schemes are the marrying of Catherine's sister-in-law and the corrupting of Catherine's nephew (the son of the drunken idiot).It's pretty rough going and you want to like Heathcliff at least more than the rest of the people in this book, but he gives you no room to excuse his actions. He's just horrible. Then like Kevin Spacey at the end of American Beauty, he reveals himself and comes to a point of self-reflection and repentence that fulfils the hope you had for him at the beginning of the book. It's very rare that this happens and its believable, but in this case it's very believable. | 45 stars
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Blah, Blah, Blah...
More inane opinions without complete accurate facts from another author with such a special ego that he thinks he knows what is best for all. Moore is one of a dozen of self proclaimed experts on what citizens of the USA should know and do. He along with these other self proclaimed experts, both conservative and liberal, all have one thing in common. They all are profiteering from the current political environment.Save your money and conduct some personal research with a critical analysis of any and all alleged facts. Freedom of choice and the right to know the facts are important elements of this country's foundation. Do not buy someone's opinion, think for yourself. | 01 star
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The Professors' Guide to Getting Good Grades in College: a Must-Read
Today because more people have college diplomas, obtaining a college diploma is not enough. College students face extremely competitive job markets and graduate school admissions criteria. Excellent college grades matter and are crucial. In this enjoyable, easy-to-read, first book to reveal insider secrets about how college professors grade, Jacobs (PhD, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University; Department Chair and Associate Professor, Art History, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville) and Hyman (Project Manager, Professors' Guide LLC; [...]), who between them have taught over 10,000 college students at a total of eight universities, offer authoritative, practical tips, techniques, strategies, and methods for succeeding at each of the five grade-bearing moments in a college semester: the start, the class, the exam, the paper, and the last month. In fifteen chapters, organized chronologically according to the major grade-bearing moments of the semester, they discuss every aspect of college grading, not limited to common myths about grades, how professors grade, picking courses, determining an action plan for the first week, taking excellent lecture notes, preparing for, attending, and participating in class, studying for exams, going over exams, writing college papers, visiting the professor, and acing the final. Fast-paced, each chapter, which is started with an concise introduction and ended by a complete review section, is interspersed with value-added sidebars, such as top ten lists, do's and don'ts tables, instructional boxes, professors' perspectives, remembrances, opinions, extra pointers, case notes, and more. Serving as a significant how-to guidebook as well as a useful reference resource, this publication may be read from cover-to-cover or consulted by chapter as needed. While it may be most relevant for college students who will be taking a significant number of courses in the humanities and social sciences, this must-read by insider experts should be required reading for those aspiring to attain a college degree or degrees in any major. It also will be of interest to high school students planning to go to college and lifelong learners returning to school. Highly recommended for large, public and undergraduate, academic libraries as well as for school media center collections. | 34 stars
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What's in the middle?
Tracy Chevalier is a skilled writer whose novels have all been historical, built around a famous personage from the chosen time period. In Burning Bright, that person is William Blake, the rather mystical English poet/philosopher/engraver, but his presence is intermittent. This novel focuses upon two late-18th century London families, one newly arrived from Dorset and the other more established. Both are poor, struggling to get by, and the plot is built around the adolescent children of these families. Characterization is one of Chevalier's strengths, and Maisie, Jem, and Maggie quickly charm the reader, while others, notably John Astley (the dastardly villain of the piece), Charlie, and the bigoted landlady. Circus folk, pub denizens, washerwomen, and the like add plenty of dash and color. A feel for life in London during the French Revolution quickly develops. Thematically, the concepts of opposites, the conundrum of what's in the middle of each opposing pair, and the drive toward symmetry, are all recurrent ideas, taken from Blake's own work.Burning Bright provides hours of intelligent, pleasurable, and at times, thought provoking reading. | 34 stars
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Rewarding but tedious
For me, The Picture of Dorian Gray was a tedious read. I did not particularly enjoy it that much, although I acknowledge that it is a good piece of literature. It is very well written and full of details and vivid descriptions. The story is told artfully and exquisitely but I found it long-winded and difficult to get through at times. Many people would enjoy a book like this, but it was not for me. I couldn't relate to the British aristocracy system and was utterly appalled at how unbelievably shallow the characters were, although Wilde was probably going for that effect. I was also disappointed with the ending. I thought the point of the novel would be to eliminate the stereotype that bad people are ugly, but it just perpetuated it. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a book that makes them think. It is also recommended to people who like books from this era (late 1800's) and have a lot of time on their hands. | 12 stars
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A Must for Fantasy Players! And our spouses...
I'm an avid fantasy player and reader and this book captured two of my favorite hobbies and combined them into one: it's the equivalent of a Reese's Peanut Butter cup! Sam Walker's book chronicles his rookie year in an expert AL-roto league, and Sam is able to devote thousands of dollars into his pursuit of the championship. The book is an extremely funny look into the world of fantasy baseball, giving us a history of the game as well as keeping us up to date with the season in question. Walker's prose never slows, and the book is a winner.Each year I enter into 4 or more fantasy baseball leagues, and devote countless hours studying teams, making trade offers, and looking for the next hot FA off the wire. This book almost makes me look sane! | 45 stars
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Bom produto. Recomendo
O Kindle é um bom e-reader e recomendo o seu uso. Aprimoramentos sero muito bem vindos (cr, velocidade, conectividade etc...). | 23 stars
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Great Cover
This is a great cover for the kindle, It gives the kindle a book like feel and a nice place to place the light for reading at night. It so nice my wife wants one for her kindle. | 45 stars
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let's all remember, freedom of speech
Dear Amazon,Do not cave to the people who boycott you to force you into dropping President Carter's book. I don't agree with his opinion here, but learned about the situation without drawing the same conclusion.Consider the millions who order books from you each year, then look at the zealots who insist you change your business because they don't like it. How many of the boycotters are former customers? | 34 stars
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kindle 2
This is my second Kindle. The improvements on Kindle 2 are great. Access to the dictionary is much faster and I really like going directly to the word instead of bringing up a whole line of words. The buttons are better placed and work better. I like the 5-way controller. Having the ability to hear what you are reading is wonderful when walking on the treadmill at the gym. A good feature is being able to place fewer words to a line. I really don't know what else they could do to improve on the Kindle 2 (maybe color). I haven't used the Email or Pdf files yet but will soon. The Kindle is the best thing invented for book lovers. Oh, the Collections feature is wonderful. It lets you organize your Kindle so you can find what you want and keeps everything organized the way you want it.Love my Kindle | 45 stars
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Lord Jim Meets the Heart of Darkness [47]
Protagonist Nostromo experiences the life which the author seeks for the reader to envy - or does he or she?Living amid the fictional South American country torn with civil war and military coup's strife, Nostromo works for foreign miners whose ill begotten gain is admonished by the countrypeople and the leaders of the coup. Eventually, even the loyal and most helpful to the English Nostromo must concede that his purpose should be more than aiding the rich to extract his country's riches for their personal financial gain.Conrad is a master of telling great stories in incredible detail. And "Nostromo" is his only novel set on land - although a great amount involves a boat pulling off shore to an island not far away from the site of the majority of the novel. And, quite candidly, the boat parts of this book are the most gripping in detail and style.Conrad's other great novels have dealt with great characters of the sea: the almost perfection of man with "Lord Jim" ; or the eery recantations of the life in the third world where people would kill another for nickels and dimes in "Heart of Darkness." This novel mixes the greatness of "Lord Jim" in the character of Nostromo and encircles him in a world of relative anarchy as the warring coups' leaders and the old government involve serious and severe physical harm to all.The major theme of the story is about the cache of silver derived from the foreign man's efforts in the town in which Nostromo lives. Those involved must ask: Let the military leaders come in an take the silver or save it for the old rule or for those who mined it? Not previously involved in the politics of his own country which are grotesquely intertwined and muddied by foreign money or manipulation, Nostromo becomes very much involved in politics with his handling of the hiding of the silver ingots. People are subsequently tortured to death for information about the silver. But, only one man knows what happened to it and where it lies. Is this good? Conrad described Nostromo as "The slave of the San Tome silver [who] felt the weight of the chains upon his limbs. . . " He was fettered by the knowledge and being involved with the hiding of the silver. Before he became involved, life was good. After the hiding, life remained good - until he suffers an unfortunate disruption with a woman scorned.Like a Greek tragedy, this novel laments the hero for his humanity and human weaknesses. Unlike a Greek tragedy, this is a long and drawn out struggle involving a great amount of reading.Conrad learned English after the age of 21, and when he wrote, he wished to convey to the reader his knowledge of the vocabulary of the English language. In short, Conrad writes in a style that is neither quick paced nor easily absorbed as many uncommon words are shoehorned into certain sentences for what can commonly be proclaimed as affectation or even grandiloquence. Regardless of this truism, this book should be read. | 45 stars
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Buy it!
Okay, so you've already read what the book is about so I'm not going into all that again. Just know that if you buy this book you will not be disappointed. Well, wait a minute, actually you might be.....that you can't get your hands on the sequel ASAP! :) | 45 stars
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Don't waste your time or money on this book.
When I first read the title of the book, I thought pretentious all the way. However when I heard the author speak in person, I said maybe there is something I can learn from this book. I should have stuck with my first instinct. I found the constant name dropping and designer brand name references to be more than I could tolerate. Having grown up with and around many of the organizations the author refers to, I wonder if maybe I was living in some identical universe, because his experiences and mine were so far from the same. Save your money, please don't buy this book. | 01 star
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Fantastic!!!
I was given my Kindle for Christmas in 2009 and I cannot be happier with it. It goes everywhere with me and I use it every day. The online access is a very nice touch, as is the MP3 player. But there are no words to express how much I love my Kindle. So I am not even going to try. I love it. | 45 stars
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Fun, great regional flavor - one mistake in research
This series tickles me almost as much as the PennDutch series. Different flavor, same nutritional values. I howled over the nightmare in the opening scene where our heroine is forced to drink diet pop instead of sweet tea and threatened with cornbread that has sugar in it. One mistake caught my eye. The Biltmore has not ever been and is not now a public property. It is owned by the grandson of the man who built it. It is run as a very much for profit business. They (the Cecil family, Bill's momma was Cornelia Vanderbilt)pride themselves that they have never received a penny of either state or federal funding to keep the old pile from falling down. Of course, some of the things they have done in the way of maintenance would make a curator cringe but that's their business. At any rate - Ms. Myer really should have verified that piece of information before going to press. | 34 stars
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Internet seems to enable more involvement
This year, 2004, gives an interesting take on the book, if you consider the unfolding US Presidential campaign, and the previous 2000 campaign. As Americans increasingly get wired up, the major parties are increasingly using the Internet to build up and expand their base. Plus, it enables challengers like Howard Dean to aggressively solicit supporters.All these give an affirmative to the broad thrust of the book's speculations. It does indeed appear that the Internet/Web is an enabling of far broader grassroots participation in democracy.When the book discusses the live broadcasting of the British Parliament on TV, it turns out such events have had lesser impact on people. Partly because, like the radio broadcasts which British and Australian Parliaments have had for years, these attract only a small audience of diehards.In part, this might be due to those being broadcast media. Whereas, with the interactive nature of the Internet, with things like email, to some people this may be far more attractive. | 34 stars
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Like Louis L'Amour
If it wasn't for the F-word, this could've been written by the late Louis L'Amour. | 23 stars
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This shouldn't be your first book to read by him!
You really must read Bloodsucking Fiends first. And then A Dirty Job. Moore is a writer who incorporates familiar characters and brings them into other stories now and then. So it's nice for the long time fan to see someone familiar to them. Like an old friend showing up in a new story. I think this book in particular would be a lot easier for people who had trouble keeping all the characters separate, etc., if they'd read his previous books first.There are things he throws in there at times that are simply tribute to other stories, such as when Jody brings the cigarette case into Charlie Asher, the main character in A Dirty Job and the boss of Lily, Abby Normal's best friend.I really love reading Christopher Moore books, even though he's the reason I'm no longer allowed to read in bed. He is just so funny! It isn't one liner after one liner. He's funny in an absurd sort of way. He seems to be laughing at everyone and everything, but he's so dead on about it and never mean that you have to laugh with him. This book is no exception. Abby Normal's diary really steals the show.Even better, he's usually a pretty quick read. I don't even have to recommend him to people anymore. My daughter always picks something by him to read for English class and then all the teachers want to borrow it and pass it around. He's fun! | 34 stars
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I'm in LUV...
madly in love with my very first Kindle :) I purchased a Kindle2 (Domestic and International) after being a Kindle-PC fan for a few months. I enjoy the easy access and downloads to an assortment of books of various genres. My only problem is the connector/mini-usb is a bit wobbly but it charges the Kindle2 OK. We'll see what develops.As luck will have it, that Kindle2 went kaplooey around Veteran's Day. My soldier son was home on leave and I was trying to show him my latest acquisition. I couldn't get it to turn on without a CRITICAL BATTERY message...battery was dead and when reconnected the Kindle2 wouldn't charge. I'm annoyed it didn't last even 2 months :( Amazon Customer Service promptly sent out a Replacement overnight via FEDEX. I'm glad all of this wackiness is happening while still under warranty. | 34 stars
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Two are better than one
I use my Kindle several hours a day, every day. I got tired of being at work and realizing that I had let the battery run down. My bad. Now I keep one adapter in my backpack and the other in my kitchen. I never worry about running out of juice in the middle of a great book no matter what time of day or where I am. And for the price, this is one very worth-it investment. | 45 stars
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Indeed, truly we are all kings
The artistic world has not been graced with a presence such as this since Joe Don Baker donned a plaid sportcoat and took on evil under the moniker of "Mitchell". This book is the tale of a struggling farm boy in 1830's England, who, upon finding his prize calf 'Winky' tortured to death by a Samurai warlord, goes undercover in the New York disco scene in order to truly find love. He has both the bravado of a young Eddie Deezen and the pathos of Marvin Hagler.The character brings all emotions to the table. Some noted scholars have described him as peaceful, some as vengeful. This incredible conflict comes to a crescendo when he and his girlfriend, an Indonesian woman named Svetlana, visit the Superdome in New Orleans under the guise of Svetlana following her dream of being a cheerleader for the Seahawks.Bravo to the author! The most dreary of days have been enlightened by the presence of this magnificent tome. My copy of "Real Men Don't Eat Quiche" is now off my bedstand, and this book takes its place there, and is sure to be a constant inspiration in the remaining days of my life. | 45 stars
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A Warring Patriot
Brands does an excellent job of bringing Andrew Jackson to life. History records that Jackson was one of the best presidents, yet our educational system says so little of him. He viciously warred with the Indians, yet sought harmonious relations with them. One gets the impression that Jackson could work with you, but if you crossed the line, he would not be your friend. A strong president at a time we needed it. A virtual George Washington. This book is quick reading, detailed and worth keeping for another read later. | 45 stars
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My first and favorite Nora Roberts book.
I picked this book up while on vacation a few years ago. I had never heard of Nora Roberts and was not a romance fan. This story introduced me to Roberts and romance.The plot revolves around Dora Conroy, a quirky proprietor of a small antique shop, who inadvertently interferes with the illegal shipment of some smuggled artwork and becomes the target of a ruthless and deadly businessman. Her new tenant Jed Skimmerhorn, an ex detective with the Philadelphia PD, is reluctantly attracted to Dora and feels obligated to protect her when the bad guys break into her apartment and threaten her. Add Dora's spirited family of actors and their bizarre show biz friends into the mix and you have the recipe for fun.The story is at times humorous, often suspenseful, very romantic and always a great read. You won't want to miss this one. | 45 stars
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Love
I love his books, all of the ones that I read. And this one is not an exception. I totally recommend it. | 45 stars
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DISAPPOINTMENT
I'm only midway into this book but felt compelled to see what others thought of this book. So far it's a disappointment but unlike others who were disappointed in Hugh, I'm more disappointed in Dana who is just not to be believed. Actually everyone in this novel is "unreal." The idea of this book was interesting but Delinsky just does not pull it off. The characters as someone else mentioned are not to be believed at all and yes, why are the characters who have the means to get answers dragging their feet and being so wishy washy. I'm a fan of Delinsky but she fails miserably in this effort. Nothing is believable about this book. | 12 stars
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Fantastic and Magical Medieval Romance
This is the first book in this medieval trilogy which is quite enchanting. The mystical maiden falls in love with the battle hardened warrior who had never known love. The plot is pretty typical from there, but the details are what make this story. | 45 stars
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No more DaVinci Code wannabeez, pleeze!
I picked up this book initially because of interest in the Templars, but was disappointed on several fronts. First of all, much of the writing is poorly edited and wooden (excepting action scenes, which sizzle even though they might smell of unliklihood). However, my primary complaint is the tone assumed in this fictional tract's denial of the foundation of Orthodox Christianity: the heroine's ultimately condescending pity/compassion for the believing masses. What a godawful puke of a final motivating sentiment! | 01 star
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Kindle is the best new thing I've had for a long time!
I love the new Kindle, have waited for it for several months and finally got it last week! I have already ready several magazine and blogs on it and 2 complete books. It is wonderful, have read inside, out on a bright sun filled deck and it is equally as easy to read in both places! It is light, so easy to hold and use and you completely forget what you are reading on when you get into the book, that is what helps to make it equal to reading a traditional book! I strongly suggest that if you love to read, you get this new tool!! | 45 stars
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Contradictory
Having spent a reasonable portion of my career trying to teach people to take a more objective view of things, I was a bit concerned this very-popular book was going to clash with -- and undermine -- all that work. In reality, Blink seems to make a much stronger case for MORE deliberation (except in cases where instant reaction is required) than less.The story of the inability of doctors to accurately "triage" potential heart attack victims is perhaps the best case. In an example of anti-thin-slicing, the primary warning factors were identified only through exhaustive research and correlation analysis. So much for "gut feel"!The opening case of the statue scam just shows that people need to learn to better "understand" their own instant analyses--why these supposedly insightful art people (who recognized the scam) could not more definitively explain that the object was "too perfect" just shows they need to be less enamoured with their intuitive judgment and more connected with facts. (Sorry if this gives some of the book away).Anyway, I can see why people enjoy Blink. There are some interesting stories. But I cynically wonder if Mr. Gladwell is hoping people blink as they read the book, because if they look too carefully they'll see it never really makes a point. | 12 stars
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Terrific
I was impressed by McCarthy's inventiveness in this book. He took an odd idea and made it work -- just like his main protagonist -- through wonderful imagery and prose. This is one of the most interesting works of the early 21st Century. However, whether it stands the test of time remains to be seen. | 45 stars
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Nice introduction
I was turned onto this by my family who told me Reacher was an all around bad ass and a good simple read. If you like this formula, as I do, guy meets problem, guy kicks problem in the ass, repeat. You will like Reacher. | 45 stars
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timeless classic
I just re-read Mythical Man-Month for the umpteenth time. This book is like a good bottle of scotch, it gets better each time.Your developers should read this book if they are serious coders. | 45 stars
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Mma Ramotswe never fails to delight
In this installment of the enchanting #1 Ladies Detective Agency series, life under the acacia tree on Zebra Drive in Gaborone, Botswana continues with its usual rhythm. Several key characters step outside their traditional roles: Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni (Mma Ramotswe's husband and owner of Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors) takes an interest in detecting, Mma Makutsi (her assistant detective) considers another career and Charlie the automotive apprentice starts a small business. Three mysteries (perhaps four if the mysterious photograph is counted) are resolved and much bush tea is drunk.Each of these books - and this one is no exception - gives the reader a gentle vignette of life under the wide and empty African sky. They are written with great love and understanding of place and people. I eagerly await each new volume. | 45 stars
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Front row at the White House
I liked doing business with them. The book came in very good packaging. I plan on doing more business with them in the future. Keep up the good work!!! | 45 stars
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A good book for our times
It is good especially the chapter about Ecuador vs. Peru war | 34 stars
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A tale of three families and a society at war
In Mansfield Park, "All the world's a stage/And all the men and women merely players." The cast of characters of both the novel and the play within it is drawn from three families and their social circles: the Bertrams of Mansfield Park, the Grants/Crawfords of the parsonage, and the Prices of Portsmouth. Even as she refuses to participate in her cousins' staging of Lovers' Vows, Fanny Price is at center stage as the observer we observe in Austen's social and familial drama.As the poor relation of the Bertrams, Fanny is a natural outsider. Lacking social or financial aspirations, she is free to see the folly of those around her and bound by what seems to have become a quaint form of honor from warning Edmund about his. For all her acquiescence to fate, however, Fanny is not weak. Just as she takes a firm stand about not appearing in the ill-fated Lovers' Vows with its ill-fated cast, she stays on her moral high road even when it requires her to assert herself to Sir Thomas, to whom she is beholden and whose own daughters dare not defy him so directly.Marriage is central to Mansfield Park. Maria Ward "had the good luck . . . to be thereby raised to the rank of a baronet's lady, with all the comforts and consequences of an handsome house and large income." Despite the narrator's cynicism, the Bertrams have what seems to be an effective marriage; Sir Thomas is the domineering household head, while his decorative lady provides the services of her busybody widowed sister and her niece Fanny. Lady Bertram's passivity complements Sir Thomas's active nature; she is "guided in everything important by Sir Thomas, and in smaller concerns by her sister." She can do without companionship, but only if Sir Thomas reassures her.Motivated by his money and status and her good looks, the Bertrams have established a solid marriage, but its sons and daughters are not its pride. Restrained by and resentful of Sir Thomas's patriarchal hand, his elder son and daughter rebel against and eventually flout his authority and threaten the family's good name. His younger daughter seeks escape through the closest means possible, and even his younger son is spared from his poor judgment only by fate.Unlike Lady Bertram, her youngest sister marries for love, or at least on impulse, and suffers the consequences of ignoring what matters most--money and social standing. Self-condemned to a life of poverty and negligence, Mrs. Price cannot depend on either husband or servants to manage day-to-day life so she can indulge in her natural laziness, as Lady Bertram does. Even as her family lives in filthy squalor, Mrs. Price, could, if she were capable of noticing, take pride in Fanny's personal growth and moral fortitude, William's accomplishments and career, and Susan's promise. Like the Bertrams on their extensive estate, she is trapped in the narrow drama she has written for herself. Those who exit--Fanny, William, Susan--are able, it seems, to craft a more positive narrative for themselves.Like a proscenium arch, the trip to Sotherton and the use of Lovers' Vows frame Fanny's view of the relationships around her. Much of the action takes place out of her sight (to her dismay), but Fanny sees enough to disturb her sense of propriety and to bring to light her own desires. Fanny, and the reader, can only guess what is happening offstage and how it may affect her.Relationships founded solely on money (Rushworths), rebellion or love (Prices, presumably), and lust (Henry/Maria) fare poorly, as does the Crawfords' sister's second marriage (to the admiral). Austen's narrator does not give up on the institution, however. "With so much true merit and true love, and no want of fortune or friends . . . happiness . . . must appear as secure as earthly happiness can be," the omnipotent stage director steps in to say after having dispensed justice and wisdom to those characters who require one or the other, just before before the curtain falls on Mansfield Park and environs. In the end and with a heavy hand, the narrator redeems marriage, at least for the deserving (Fanny) and the enduring (the Bertrams).Readers who prefer strong, attractive women may not appreciate Fanny, her apparently rigid morality, and her seeming weakness of will. As a perceptive outsider who understands what she observes, Fanny is a complex character. She knows and respects how Sir Thomas would feel about Lovers' Vows and participates to the extent she can so she can keep an eye on Edmund. She knows where his future unhappiness lies, yet does not deter him although it is in her power. She may be judgmental, as people are, but she asserts herself strongly only when she is herself affected, for example, when she is wanted for the play and when Henry pays his attentions. She is true to herself and allows others the same freedom, succeed or fail, with her real feelings hidden within her inner emotional life.Set in a time of war and slave-supported prosperity that seems remote, Mansfield Park can still reach across the years. In spite of the antiquated social and moral codes that rule their lives, the out-of-touch adults, the rebellious children, and the lonely and unconventional heroine still hold interest today. | 34 stars
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$2,397 (plus tax)
I'm not so good at the maths, but if it's $399 for the device and $9.99 per title, it appears that the Swindle would cost me over $2,000 to fill 'er up. Why on earth would I want to do that? Especially since the iPhone/Android has pretty much sealed the deal on getting my newspapers/blogs on the fly. You're going to have to do a lot better than this, Amazon. If I'm going to spend money on books, they'd better be making my bookshelves prettier. | 01 star
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Do not read this book. Conrad fails in this genre.
Who would have thought the author of Heart of Darkness and Lord Jim could write such a weak novel? Unless you have to read all of Conrad's work stick to his better known and far better works | 01 star
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I Like It
I read all Kellerman's books and I like this one no matter what the literary/librarian's review says. Okay, I don't like Robin and I wish Alex Delaware would ditch her for good, but despite his putting up with her, this is a good series and a good book.Little Tanya Bigelow is being raised by a grandmother because her mother was born to be wild and walked on the wild side. In time she meets Dr. Delaware and years later, murders come up and Delaware's friend Milo of course helps him solve them.I'm giving this 2 thumbs up as well. | 45 stars
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Cherry Cheesecake Murder
This book came in a timely manner and was in good shape as described by the seller. I was very pleased. | 45 stars
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Informative About Harem Life, but GROSS
I almost set this aside. I enjoyed reading about Helen, a Scottish girl abducted by pirates and sold to the Moroccan emperor and her parts of the story were interesting, but I did not enjoy the parts that were told by the midget "eunuch". His sexual thoughts, fantasies, and his dalliances with the harem "hippo" was all quite repulsive to me. I was grossed out a few times and had to scan over alot of his narratives. Had the story simply been told about Helen and in the third person, with no narratives by the "eunuch" I would have really enjoyed it. I felt sorry for Helen who was living the life of a prisoner with a few jewels and baubles to show for it in the privacy of her room. Truly an interesting look at harem life in the 1700s, but the midget and "hippo" sex was too much. | 23 stars
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Kindle Global 6" wireless
Excellent electronic reader. I love the accessibility to books and periodicals. Easy to use and easy to read. My kindle has taken it's place in my bag along with my i-pod and my laptop. I would recomend the Kindle to anyone who loves to read. | 45 stars
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An Experiment Of Questionable Intention
The book spends all but a few chapters as a reference of all the previous studies done to show that intention and thought does affect our physical world. I've read almost every one of the books written on all those experiments, so it was a bit repetitious. So why another experiment? In the author's own words, "an inordinate number of books have been written about the power of the human being to manifest his or her reality, and while they have served up intuitive truths, they offer little in the way of scientific evidence." Spoken like a true egghead.We so value the intellect over any other form of knowing, even though in the author's compilation of tests, it showed the heart was higher intelligence than the brain! We let the intellect dominate how we experience reality to the extent that we have obliterated our perspective of common sense. A prime example is a Harvard study costing hundreds of thousands of dollars to show that cheese is the best bait to catch mice. How can our intellect not let us see what already is, unless it is measured by what is provable?And who can we have do these experiments? The pillars of the scientific community. Guys like Popp: these foremost, leaders in their fields who are hesitant to risk their reputations on any study which might fail, once he has made a name for himself? And these people are supposed to be on the cutting edge? Give me a break. How can anyone respect these people?What the author and most scientists fail to understand is that we live in a temporal world, but these intuitive truths they want to scientifically prove are eternal. If the scientists don't prove them, do they not exist, or did they prove that their methods are inadequate or their paradigm is insufficient? | 12 stars
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This book hardly makes sense.
No spoilers.There is one very good quality about A Simple Plan, and one very bad quality about it. First the good. The best part about this book is the way in which the author illustrates the snowball effect that lies and deceit can have. What starts off as a simple vow to keep a secret between three people turns into several people knowing about it, alliances forming, more alliances forming that are intertwined with/ contradict the other previous alliances, and constant back-stabbing. The novel does a very good job a showing how, once one lie is told and one deal is made, more and more keep coming, to the point where it gets completely out of control and everything you do or say is a facade.Now, on the other hand. The worst part about this novel, and the reason why it deserves no more than three stars, is that the actions of the main character DON'T MAKE ANY SENSE AT ALL. Although some of the actions of the supporting characters are a little questionable, it works well enough for the story to be believable, but the actions of the main character remind you that you're reading a book and not experiencing a thrill. Without too much detail, the main character is the stereotypical, blue collar husband who is an accountant with a baby on the way. Without thinking or feeling any remorse, he just murders people whenever he feels like it, and acts like it's nothing. He is the most non-realistic character I've ever come across and the whole time you'll be asking yourself if any of Smith's editors actually read this book.Bottom line: Unfortunately, the bad outweighs the good and you should skip this one. | 23 stars
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Very origional, entertaining read
I thought this book would be the typical paranormal type (werewolves, vampires, fae, etc), but I was way off. It is unquestionably paranormal, but it is entirely different from anything else I have read in the genre. | 45 stars
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Espinasse entertains, makes you laugh, and warms your heart!
Terrific book! As an American wanting to pick up more French, I find "Words in a French Life: Lessons in Love and Language from the South of France" a simply delightful read. This is a great book to pick up and read the very well written and reflective antidotes. As a librarian, I will make sure this book is available at our library. Kristen touches my soul with each chapter as a parent, a lover of the French language, one married to an immigrant...and oh,on so many levels. I find myself associating with her writing "from the heart". She truly speaks the language, the tongue of many with finesse! Love this book. Tres bien! Encore, encore!! | 45 stars
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